One man has been killed and another three men wounded in a mass shooting in a shopping mall in El Paso, Texas, sparking renewed terror in a local community still scarred from the last massacre three years ago.
Two suspects – both male – are now in police custody over the incident that unfolded at Cielo Vista Mall on Wednesday late afternoon.
All four victims are males with two of the survivors still in critical condition in hospital.
The shooting has brought back “bad memories” for the El Paso community, with Cielo Vista Mall being located directly adjacent to the Walmart store where 23 people were killed in a racially-motivated mass shooting back in August 2019.
This latest massacre also comes at a time when America is facing a surge in mass shootings – and with it, growing calls for tighter gun control to prevent more communities from being torn apart by gun violence.
Here’s what we know so far about the latest mass shooting in El Paso:
The shooting
Gunfire erupted at around 5pm on Wednesday in the food court of the Cielo Vista Mall, causing terrified shoppers and workers to flee and barricade themselves inside stores.
“During this incident, it was chaotic,” El Paso Sgt Robert Gomez said at a press conference.
“People did flee. They were scared. There was shots fired in the mall, it does cause panic.”
The first suspect was apprehended within minutes – by 5.08pm – by an off-duty law enforcement officer who was working security at the mall at the time.
The officer heroically responded to the gunfire and quickly subdued the gunman.
El Paso Interim Police Chief Peter Pacillas said that officers arrived at the shopping mall to find one victim – a male – dead at the scene.
Three other male victims were rushed to local hospitals – two at University Medical Center in El Paso and the third at the Del Sol Medical Center.
In an initial press conference, Sgt Gomez said that officers were sweeping the mall for a second gunman.
Sometime later, in a second press conference, police confirmed that the second suspect had also been taken into custody.
The circumstances of the second suspect’s arrest are unclear.
The identities of the victims and the suspects have not been publicly released. They are all male but their ages and identities remain unknown .
No motive has been given and it is unclear if the attack was targeted or random.
At least weapon has been recovered from the scene.
Chief Pacillas reassured the public there was no remaining threat following the arrest of the two suspects.
“There is no more danger. I want to repeat that: There is no more danger to the public,” he said.
A reunification centre was set up at nearby Burges High School and people are urged to travel there if they cannot get in touch with loved ones.
Officials have commended the heroic actions of the unidentified off-duty officer with the FBI saying that “a great deal of credit” goes to them for being “able to get one of these individuals into custody” quickly.
Mall workers now lived through two mass shootings
Shopping mall workers who survived the 2019 Walmart massacre have described their horror at finding themselves in the midst of the latest mass shooting to rock El Paso.
The Cielo Vista Mall is directly adjacent to the Walmart store where a lone gunman murdered 23 people in a racist attack in August 2019.
Several of the same workers who survived that day three years ago were at the mall on Wednesday.
Robert Gonzalez told CNN that Wednesday’s shooting at the Cielo Vista Mall brought back “bad memories” of the Walmart mass shooting.
“I was working [at the mall] the last time this happened with the Walmart shooting so it just brought back bad memories,” said Mr Gonzalez.
He said that he “saw people running to the exit” of the mall on Wednesday and he fled to his car.
Another mall worker Brandon Chavez, 29, told the outlet that he has also now lived through the two mass shootings in the half-mile radius.
He was working in the Buckle clothing store located across from the food court when Wednesday’s shooting unfolded, he said.
Mr Chavez said that employees and customers banded together to barricade themselves inside the store and then hide in the stock room until it was safe to come out.
It was a stark reminder of 2019 when he said he was also forced to shelter in the store.
Walmart 2019
The Cielo Vista Mall shooting comes exactly one week after the gunman who killed 23 in the Walmart shooting changed his plea to guilty.
On 3 August 2019, Patrick Crusius, now 24, entered the Walmart on a busy weekend and opened fire.
He killed 23 people, including citizens of Mexico, and wounded more two dozen more in what remains one of the worst mass shootings in American history.
Prosecutors say he intentionally targeted the store in the Hispanic community due to his extremist, racist beliefs.
Before the massacre, he had posted a racist document online claiming the shooting was “in response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas”.
Last Wednesday, Crusius pleaded guilty to federal hate crime and weapons charges.
Political reaction
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has come under fire for his response to the latest mass shooting in his state – where 21 students and staff members were killed in the Uvalde massacre last year and where he has repeatedly relaxed gun laws.
“I spoke to Mayor Leeser about the shooting tonight in El Paso. l offered the full support of the State of Texas, including the assistance of the Texas Department of Public Safety and Texas Division of Emergency Management to help the city of El Paso respond to this tragic event,” he tweeted about the shooting on Wednesday night.
“Thank you to all law enforcement and first responders who quickly went into action to protect their fellow Texans.”
His tweet sparked an instant backlash with Rep Veronica Escobar, whose district covers El Paso, firing back: “How about gun violence prevention legislation for our community’s security?
“You promised you would take action after the August 3rd shooting and you’ve done nothing but loosen gun laws. The legislature is in session. Be a man of your word for once and do something!”
Democrat Beto O’Rourke, who lost to Republican incumbent Mr Abbott in the November midterm elections, also tweeted.
“This shooting at Cielo Vista is painful for El Paso, especially the families of those killed at the nearby Walmart in 2019. I dont know the details yet,” he said about his hometown.
“But what I do know is that I love this town and I will do everything I can to stop this from happening again.”
Texas’ record on gun violence
Throughout Mr Abbott’s eight-year tenure as governor, Texas has been rocked by at last six other major mass shootings, according to a Texas Tribune database.
In November 2017, 26 people were murdered and another 20 wounded when a 26-year-old gunman opened fire during Sunday service at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs.
Just six months later in May 2018, a 17-year-old student killed eight classmates and two students at Santa Fe High School.
One year later in August 2019, the racist attack took place at the El Paso Walmart.
Last year, on 24 May 2022, an 18-year-old armed with a legally purchased AR-15 entered Robb Elementary School in Uvalde and murdered 19 small children and two teachers.
Mr Abbott has come under fire for his reaction to the Uvalde massacre as he has refused the requests of grieving families, the Uvalde community and state lawmakers to call a legislative session to even discuss the possibility of changing the state’s weak gun laws.
Since taking office, the Republican has relaxed gun laws in the state.
Less than one year before Uvalde, in June 2021, he signed a bill into law allowing Texans without a licence to open carry handguns.
